Sunburn
by scientificapricot
Summary: With life as normal as it gets in Storybrooke now that the Black Fairy is gone, Emma and Killian can worry over minor issues like sunburns. Fluff, kissing, and banter ensues.


_I got a sunburn yesterday, so Killian gets a sunburn. Hope you guys enjoy it, and don't forget to wear sunscreen! Special thanks to my sister for looking this over for me. _

_I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters._

-/-/-/-

He's going to get skin cancer if he keeps this up.

And really, that's a bit of a morbid thought to have this late in the day, but it's on her mind. Emma only wants to be proactive, so that it _doesn't_ come to that.

Because for all the time her husband spends out on the water, in the unrelenting sun, he never applies sunscreen.

It's not even that bad of a burn. There's no blistering, and it only covers his ears, forearms, the back of his neck, and the v of his chest left open by his shirt. After centuries at sea, he's smart enough not to go shirtless (usually) when he's out on the ship, favoring his loose pirate shirts in warm weather, the soft ones with flowy sleeves that she absolutely _loves_ on him. He's even got some white ones that he pulls out if they're especially behind on laundry, and they look quite good against his tanned skin.

Except his skin is more of a reddish color at the moment.

His face got a bit burnt too, now that she's able to get a better look at him.

Killian Jones with what looks like a permanent blush on his cheeks is quite an adorable sight.

Adorable, but not very healthy. She's definitely got to talk to him about sunscreen. _(Do they know what cancer is in the Enchanted Forest? Do they even have it?) _

But she has a bit of time before that. They're in the bedroom, her changing out of her work clothes and into a tank top and lightweight pair of pajama pants (the ones with swans and buttercups that were a surprise from her mother), him shirtless in the bathroom, treating his irritated skin. They're probably going to have to buy more aloe vera gel soon.

She sits on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to finish, phone in hand with the intention of texting her mom about the family barbecue this weekend, but is soon distracted.

With a husband who looks like _that_, can you blame her?

Her vantage point on the mattress affords her the perfect view of their bathroom, and, subsequently, Killian. He's standing before the mirror, carefully massaging the soothing gel onto the back of his neck, his shoulder and stomach muscles flexing with each stroke. His hair is a bit messier than usual, blown out of place by the ocean wind. She knows that's probably bugging him. He hisses slightly as he reaches a particularly sensitive spot, the toes of his bare feet curling inward on the cold tile of the bathroom floor.

"Once you're finished enjoying the view, would you mind giving me a hand, love?" She can hear the smirk in his voice before she sees it on his face. His eyes twinkle with amusement as his head turns towards her.

"I can give you two, if that's not too much for you to handle," she responds as she approaches him. And if said hands happen to wander over his ass on their way up to his shoulders, well, that's her business.

"Oh, you underestimate me." He turns to greet her with a soft kiss that belies their charged teasing a second ago, making sure to keep his gel-coated hand well away from her clothes. Emma doesn't think she'll ever tire of kissing him like this, or any way for that matter. She relishes the way the tips of their noses brush as they meet, and how his tongue traces her lips, not so much demanding entry as just reveling in the touch. She sighs contentedly once they pull apart, and is just going back in for a second round when Killian lets out a grunt of pain.

"Shit, sorry babe," she murmurs, quickly removing her hand from where it had been pressed against the burn on his chest.

"It's alright." He pauses, then smirks at her. "I suppose I did beckon you over here for a reason, no matter how much I enjoyed the distraction." He gives her a light peck on the tip of her nose at the last word.

"Right. What do you need me to do?"

"I wasn't able to get here or here," he says matter-of-factly, gesturing to his left ear and with his right forearm.

"Aw, you already did your chest?" Emma whines petulantly as she pumps the gel into her palms.

"Apologies, my lady. I shall make sure to leave that task for you next time. You'll have to forgive me, you know, old age and memory and all that." His innocent grin shines through his tone, the corner of his eyes crinkling with humor.

She gives him a knowing look and a raised eyebrow, and massages his arm, carefully spreading gel over his Milah tattoo. "Don't let my dad catch you saying that, or you'll never hear the end of it."

He shrugs. "I have plenty to return fire with."

"Mmhm- turn your head a little to the right- I suppose that's true." She takes a little longer than necessary in treating his ear, but she doesn't think he minds. Killian is well aware of her affinity for the pointed tips, and she knows that he quite enjoys the feeling of the soft skin of her fingers skimming over them.

He stops her as she starts cleaning up. "What about you?" he murmurs as his hand brings hers up for closer inspection, eyeing the dry skin of her knuckles.

"Might as well." She reaches again for the aloe vera bottle, but is halted by his disapproving tsk.

"Let me return the favor, Swan."

He goes about his task diligently (she'd expect nothing less from her meticulous sailor), ensuring that not a spot is missed. She meets his eyes, certain that her gratitude and love must be shining in her gaze. Once he finishes, he leaves feather-light kisses on each of her hands, along with a swooping feeling in her stomach that always comes when he gets gentlemanly. She's not sure if that's a real word, but it's what she's going with.

They wash off their hands and rings and converse calmly about their days as they venture back to the bedroom. Killian describes the minor damage the Jolly sustained in a recent summer storm, and in return, Emma tells about the lightning-struck tree she was called out to investigate. The property owner thought that it was another portal; thankfully he was wrong.

As she had anticipated, as soon as Killian's hand is dry he runs it through his hair, guiding the strands back into place so that it looks more artful than chaotic. Emma, meanwhile, giggles at the full view of his sunburn. The redness stops near his elbows and forms a very clear v-shape on his chest, and he has burns around where the straps of his brace usually go, leaving his left arm covered in different colored patches of skin. He shoots her an exaggerated look of offense.

"Need I remind you of the tan lines _you_ had when you fell asleep on the Jolly's deck last year?" He waggles his eyebrows at her as his head pops up from the neck of his sleep shirt.

She retaliates by tossing her blouse from today at his chest, which he catches deftly and drops in the hamper.

She squeezes his hand in truce as they descend to the main level of the house, basking in the contrast of the metal of his wedding band against his warm skin.

He extracts the appendage as she heads for the back door, instead turning towards the kitchen. Emma watches him, puzzled, until he pulls out the bright red tea kettle that had been a wedding gift from Ruby, among other… _ahem_… adult things.

"How can you want hot tea in the middle of summer?" she asks, leaning against the fridge.

Killian shrugs. "The heat doesn't bother me." He fills the kettle in the sink, using his blunted wrist to turn the tap on and off. These days he's a lot more comfortable removing the brace at home, especially compared to their first couple of nights in the house, when he wore it even to sleep. "Besides, you're one to talk, Swan. Wasn't it just this morning that you ordered a steaming hot chocolate at Granny's?" His eyebrow is going to get stuck like that if he doesn't lower it soon.

"True, but I don't think the water was heated to boiling for it. Here, let me." Before he can turn on the stovetop burner, she slides over next to him, bumping her hip into his to make room for herself. She touches her hand the kettle, which quickly begins to whistle in response to the glowing heat of her magic. (She totally stole that move from _Captain Marvel_, but hey it worked, didn't it?)

(She vaguely wonders, not for the first time, if any of _those_ stories are true; they really could have used a Flerken or two against some past villains.)

"Eager to get outside, love?" Killian inquires, pride at her magic shining bright blue in his gaze.

"Nah." Emma hands him his favorite mug, the navy blue one that spells _Captain_ in white letters that was a gift from Henry, and the bottle of honey, which, she had quickly learned, was much more expensive back in Killian's homeland, so he was quite delighted to find it cheap and common in Storybrooke. "I just really wanna spend some time with you." She stands on tiptoe to kiss his temple as he drops the tea bag into the mug.

He smiles a bit bashfully at that. Despite being married with a loving and supportive family, both of them sometimes still have to adjust to open displays of affection. Decades, or centuries, of loneliness are hard to break.

(Since moving in with Killian, she had also learned that he was extremely picky when it came to tea, more than once earning dirty looks from Granny when he complained about the kind served at the diner. After many taste tests resulting in a small mountain of boxes and tea bags from the grocery store, they had found some that met his standards, including Yogi's _Berry Detox_ flavor, which was his choice of the night.)

Once the tea finishes steeping, they head out to the spacious back porch, reclining on the weathered wooden glider that Emma bought from Marco. They sit in comfortable silence for a while, Killian sipping his drink and Emma absentmindedly rubbing her thumb against his wrist. The back porch provides a nice view of the sun setting over the treetops, accompanied by the distant sounds of crashing waves and buzzing cicadas. A cool breeze disrupts the warm evening air, causing Emma to shiver slightly and snuggle closer to Killian, careful to not brush up against his burns. Speaking of…

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Always, my love." She can feel the vibrations of his response through his chest.

"Why don't you use sunscreen?"

Killian takes his time answering, setting his mug down and playing with the ends of her hair, gently tugging the strands and winding them around his fingers, careful to not get them caught in his rings. "I suppose… I truly didn't think it was needed. Sunburns were not as common an affliction in the Enchanted Forest as they seem to be in this land. It took much longer out in the sun for myself and my crew to feel the effects. I was hoping it would be the same here."

"Huh… I guess I never knew that. I wonder why? I mean, it's not like you guys had a different sun… wait, did you?" (_How would that even work?_)

"I've no clue. The constellations are different here, so perhaps…" He shifts slightly, and Emma knows he's probably filing that question away for further research on his next trip to the library.

"Or maybe it's because our ozone layer is thinner? You guys didn't have nearly the amount of pollution and crap that we have in the atmosphere here." She looks up in time to catch his brow furrowing, and then his wince as it pulls at the irritated skin on his forehead.

"Ozone layer?"

"Something that protects the surface of the planet from the radiation of the sun. I think. I don't actually know the exact science behind it." She could see more questions on the tip of his tongue, but didn't feel like investigating the matter, not when they were enjoying such a relaxing evening together. "I don't know much more than that, but we can google it later."

He nods, satisfied. "Despite my earlier reluctance, I don't wish for a repeat of today. Rest assured, I'll be using sunscreen from now on."

Emma smiles up at him. "That's a bit of a relief. I like knowing that you're protected. And if you find yourself in need of _assistance _again-" she lightly traces her fingertips through the hair on his chest "-I'm happy to help."

He rewards her with a devilish grin. "I shall keep that in mind, love."

"You sure you'll remember, what with your old-"

She's cut off by his mouth on hers, but can't say that she minds. His hand comes up to cradle her cheek, and she grips his shoulder as his kiss takes her breath away. Her eyes slide shut in bliss, and she focuses only on the tiny groans escaping from the back of his throat and the movement of his slightly chapped lips, trying her best to not aggravate any of his burns.

Once they break apart, she says, "I hope I didn't come off as nagging."

She feels rather than sees him shake his head, their foreheads still pressed together. "Not at all, Swan. Why would an honest question and concern for my wellbeing be viewed as such?"

"Guys in my world don't take well to stuff like that."

"From all you've told me of the men of this realm, I'm inclined to believe they are all complete wankers."

"Eh, not all. Enough to be a problem, though."

He scoffs. "I would be a terrible husband indeed if I were to make you feel that way."

"Yeah, you would be."

"I'm glad you agree."

"Yeah, you're adequate. I think I'll keep you," she teases, running her fingers through his dark hair.

Killian hums as he leans into her touch, a content sigh escaping him. They know each other well enough by now, with their walls broken through, that Emma is confident such jests won't awaken old demons.

She draws her knees up to her chest, leaning against him as his arm circles her shoulders, breathing him in.

Killian presses a kiss to the top of her head, and speaks against her hair. "I am grateful every day to call you my wife."

She entwines their fingers together. "I wouldn't want anyone else, Killian. I love you."

"I love you too."

They sit like that as the sky grows dark and the fireflies emerge. Together. At peace.

-/-/-/-

_Let me know what you think! This is the first brand-new fic I've written in ages._


End file.
